


Protection

by booksblanketsandtea



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gay ASF, I don't know, I have no idea where this is going, If you couldn't tell from the summary alone, Levi's POV, Likely spoilers for both the Manga and the Anime, M/M, Possible Character Death, Probably only mentioned in passing BUT STILL SPOILERS, Spoilers, WIP, also, oh captain my captain, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 18:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4797842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksblanketsandtea/pseuds/booksblanketsandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria, Rose, Sina.. They've got nothing on the walls Levi has built around his heart. But we've already seen that it only takes one titan-shifter to change things forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protection

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so first of all I'd like to apologise for that genuinely shit summary because WOW that sounds like a cheesy romance novel... though, now I think about it, perhaps it's suitable.
> 
> This is basically going to be me writing one shots and trying to link them together. Because I'm terrible at writing long fics - so, though each chapter will be set in the same universe, feel free to read each as a standalone. If you'd like to see anything in particular, flick me a message (or PM me on my tumblr - booksblanketsandtea) and I'll see if I can't write it in. 
> 
> Fair warning, I'm basically using this as a way to get back into writing, so I have no real idea where this thing is headed - each chapter will be as surprising to you as it is to me. Could be angst, could be Romance, could be PWP Crack for all I know. We'll see when we get there. 
> 
> Cheers.

______________________________

Levi supposed, if he were to think about it, it all started with the cleaning. This is a thought he would _not_ be admitting to anyone, _ever_ , for a variety of reasons. The smug look on Erwin’s stupid face if he ever happened upon this knowledge was number two on this list (Yes, okay, shut up, there was a list), followed closely by the unavoidable torture of Hanji’s meddling.

Erwin's smarmy grin and Hanji's teasing aside, there was one reason that ranked above even these two, and this reason was simply that Levi damn well _refused_ to admit to what was staring him in the face.

Levi would sooner dance the fandango with a 20m class Titan before he would admit that anything at all had begun that day, when he arrived at the cottage his new team were bunkering down in. He had opened the door, expecting to find his new subordinates relaxing after their latest ordeal – and honestly, he wouldn't have blamed them for taking the time to rest.

 

Instead, he had entered into a realm of utter chaos – brooms, old rags, dust flying everywhere… and, over the din of what Appeared to be some attempt at housework, Levi could hear Erin Yeager shouting orders to his friends (all the while viciously rubbing away surface rust from the single kettle in the sparse kitchen).

“Armin will you  _please_ stop reading the damn books and just dust the case already? Jean, you get the top, he’s too short to reach – and Connie if you wipe that table with a dirty cloth I’ll stuff it down your throat! No, Sasha that's not a sugge- look will you lot  _please_ just hurry up?! We don't have much time!”

 

It took a few moments for anyone to notice Levi in all the ruckus, but it was only a few seconds before Mikasa Ackerman was sidling up beside him, holding a cloth in one hand. She nodded a brusque greeting before turning to the window nearest the doorway where Levi was standing, and started scrubbing at the marks on the glass.

“Welcome Captain. We didn't expect you so soon – Eren will be disappointed.”

 

Levi lifted one sharp eyebrow at her. “Oh really? I don't think he’s ever been disappointed to see me before.”

 

Mikasa snorted delicately, and continued her cleaning.

“No, I suppose he hasn't. Eren’s always adored you, after all. Even after what you did to him, he still thinks you're incredible.”

She said all this quite calmly, steadily refusing to meet her commanding officer’s eye. Levi picked up on her subtle disrespect, but said nothing. If someone had kicked in the face of one of _his_ family members, Levi doubted that, at her age, he would have been half as clever about his reaction.

 

“Yeah well, the brat’s got me on a bit of a pedestal, that's all” Levi muttered, following Mikasa’s lead and not turning to look at her. Instead he watched the others cleaning – the clever one that looked like a goddamn cherub felt Levi’s scrutinising gaze on him. The blonde looked up from the book he was surreptitiously trying to read and met Levi’s eye – he jumped slightly, not having expected his commanding officer to be the one staring, and gave an awkward half salute from where he was leaning against the book case.

 

Mikasa had stopped her cleaning and turned to look at Levi, and though she met his eye this time, her gaze was cold.

“Eren hasn't had you on a pedestal since he joined your squad. He told me so before we left for the 57th expedition – said it was hard to idolise someone when you lived with them everyday. When you shared meals, and shit jokes, and trained together.”

 

Levi felt his other eyebrow joining the first in lifting towards his hairline.

“Is that so? Good. Idolisation never ends well,” he said, desperately trying not to think of Oluo.

 

Or Isabel.

 

Mikasa hummed, her eyes suddenly just a fraction less cool, but with far more curiosity than Levi was happy having directed at him. “No, I suppose it wouldn't. But don't you think it's a bit strange?”

Levi had just asked “What's strange?” when a surprised shout interrupted them.

 

“Captain! When did you arrive?” Eren blustered as he moved to stand in front of Levi, meeting his eyes as he gave a salute, broom still in the hand he fisted over his heart. Levi nearly smirked at the sight before him, taking in the headscarf Eren had fashioned for himself. His normally tan cheeks were flushed red - from the force of his cleaning or with surprise at finding Levi already arrived, the squad leader couldn't be certain.

 

“Only just now. I see you've, ah... gotten started.”

 

“Yes sir! I- I _had_ hoped to have everything finished before you got here,” the young Titan shifter said, his voice falling a bit, and Levi suddenly knew what Ackerman had meant by “Eren will be disappointed”.

 

“It's fine – looks like you've managed to complete most of it anyway.”

 

Eren perked up and nodded, adding “Yes Sir - I just have to finish sweeping and then do the mopping.”

 

Levi looked around the room again and saw that while they had been chatting the others had taken advantage of Eren’s distraction and had sat down at the newly sparkling table. Levi reached out and grabbed the broom from Eren's hands.

 

“Right brat, let's show this lot how to get shit done. I’ll finish sweeping and you get the mopping sorted.”

 

 

Eren nodded quickly and ran off to organise some hot water. Levi had almost forgotten he still had company when Mikasa snorted again, this time less delicately.

“’Strange’ is damn well right,” she muttered, turning to go join her fellows at the table.

 

“What is?” Levi asked before she could move away, and the young woman turned to face him. Her eyes weren't as cold as they had been previously, but there was still some kind of curiosity there that made Levi... Uncomfortable. He felt like he was being assessed by the serious young woman, and he had a suspicion that neither of them quite knew how he measured up.

Mikasa shrugged one shoulder, looking over to where her sort-of brother was heating some water.

“Well, we've established that he doesn't idolise you – and yet Eren went to all this trouble to clean up this place, practically bullied the rest of us into helping him, just because he knows you hate things being untidy...” She trailed off, before glancing back at Levi. “It's just… Strange.”

 

 

Levi felt an odd, heavy feeling in his chest, and his heart thudded a couple of beats out of time before he managed to reply.

“He just knows I would have made you all clean up once I got here anyway.”

It was sound reasoning, but for some reason it felt brittle and false to Levi, even as it left his mouth. It didn't matter anyway; Mikasa hadn't stayed to hear his response and had instead gone and sat down next to the girl with long brown hair (she seemed to be talking about what they could have for dinner but the rest of the table was comfortably ignoring her).

 

 

Levi pulled his eyes away from his new recruits and focussed back on the only other surviving member of his old special ops team. Eren was sitting next to the fire, still waiting for the water to heat through. He was chatting with the cherub boy – Armin? – and laughing at something. There was a smudge of – dust? Or maybe charcoal from the hearth? – above his left eyebrow, like Eren had brushed away some sweat, or pushed his hair back with a grubby hand.

Levi felt his heart do that strange too-quick beat again, and turned away to complete the sweeping, his hands curled tight around the broom.

 

 

It was nothing, he convinced himself.

 

 

  

 

But, if it _had_ been something – if Levi were to think about it, much further down the line, when that little cottage and too many of the faces in it had become nothing more than a memory.. If that first strange heart-palpitation and the uncomfortable ache in his gut and the wound in his once well protected heart - if they could all be traced to one thing, to one moment… then, Levi supposed, it had all started with the cleaning.

 

 

And, when he was being very honest with himself (and just as long as Erwin and Hanji would never find out), Levi supposed, just occasionally, when he was alone with his thoughts... Well. He could admit it. 

 

Could acknowledge, that, really?

 

 

It had all started with Eren.


End file.
